The Power of NOW: Mobile Dating Part 1 of ...

*Mature Content Alert, i.e. NSFW... well, just don't click on some of the links... oh, and if you're under 18, go away*

The way I see it, the iPhone should be a lot further along than it is when it comes to online dating, social networking, and, well casual sex.

There are all kinds of mobile or WAP sites for the various dating sites like Match and even JDate, but all of these are just portals to existing content and profiles that doesn't enhance the user experience save for a bit more "real-time" winking and flirting.

However, I require a bit more urgency. And I have high standards for technology. I'm still shocked when I realize a website doesn't have the functionality I expect it to.

A scan of iPhone webapps in the Social Networking category left me incredibly disappointed. Same old, same old . Looking around some of the leading online dating blogs (Collaboradate and the Online Dating Post) promised that 2008 would be the year that mobile dating really takes off in the US.

But seriously, how could there not be a site that takes advantage of the easy-to-use iPhone and alerts potential dates/one-night stands that I'm not only their type, but that I'm also in the same bar as they are?!?


And then I discovered iPling. For one week now, the writer has been a member of iPling. It was a new program and so I assumed it was all about hooking up. I should have known something was up when I went to join and it asked me to check the box to confirm that I was at least 13 before proceeding. Uh-oh.

When I finally figured out how to register, iPling's loose GPS system recognized my Queens address as some place in Iowa (save it all you Queens haters). When I repositioned myself in Manhattan's West Village, I had some more luck. iPling started in San Francisco and is a very new webapp that takes after the popularity of Japanese and European mobile dating/social networking phenomena.

The idea with iPling is that users can find locals in their area who share interest and meet up. I figured this meant casual sex, too. And I wasn't alone...

The interface was nearly impossible to understand and navigate. When it told me I had three words to describe myself I chose "gay, 25, single" just to make sure I got the important stuff out there right away. After I sorted out my profile (btw-- there's no way to post a picture, probably the most obvious drawback of this new program), I could look at the other people who matched my profile in the area. There were 8 on the entire island of Manhattan. Either I had discovered the next big thing or this was the lamest program ever.

Once you see someone you like, you can "Pling" them, which means you send an anonymous text message to their phone alerting them that you're nearby. Problem was, I "Plinged" three women (there was no way to tell otherise) asking them if they were looking to meet up. I know it sounds gross, but I was a.) researching for you, the readers and b.) mislead by what I hoped was another hookup site.

I never received any responses to my outgoing Plings. I left my profile up and active all week and on three occasions I received anonymous text Plings:

They all came from the number "320-75" from users with names like "njdog" and "odnam". iPling let me know that odnam was only 1.28 miles away from me (Njdog was a whopping 29.04 miles away presumably in NJ.) Both users seemed as confused as I was. Another difficult part was that I couldn't just click "respond" to the anonymous text, I had to start the response with a bizarre code like "ipling 2DVTG2." Not very convenient, user friendly, or even fun.

So, with the 13 year old disclaimer in mind, I quickly decided to change my profile to a G-rated one and wait until the real pioneers figure out how to make this site more user-friendly. I am pretty sure sites like this will become more user-friendly when the SDK is unleashed in an upcoming firmware upgrade.

Up next, I continue this foray into the annals of mobile dating and mobile adult content by introducing you all to the MACC.